Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - Christmas Eve Suite (1903)

"Rimsky-Korsakov wrote his opera Christmas Eve during the period 1894-1895, and it was premiered during the latter year. In 1903, he extracted this suite, which contains about a half-hour's worth of music from the opera. What is confusing to some listeners about the work is that it is often broken down in concert programs and on recordings into five, six, or as many as nine sections, with translations of the individual numbers that can vary widely. The lovely music in the 'Introduction', first heard on the horn, sets the stage for the Romantic character of the score here. The lively and playful music from the 'Games and Dances of the Stars' is charming, as is the 'Round Dance' [Khorovod], which reprises the theme from the opening. The 'Czardas' is joyous and, as so often with Rimsky-Korsakov's works, brilliantly and colorfully orchestrated. The "Devil's Kolyada" is sinister, but ultimately its menace has an almost fairy tale-like lightness. The Polonaise is graceful and stately and the 'Procession to Midnight Mass' is absolutely lovely and quite memorable, with the gently tolling bells deftly adding to the serene atmosphere at the quiet close. In the end, the music here is light and colorful, not as exotic as Shéhérazade or the Capriccio Espagnol, but still with ethnic flavors and featuring Rimsky-Korsakov's usual brilliant scoring."

—Robert Cummings


Date: 1903
Order:
No. 1 - Act I, Tableau I: Christmas Eve in Dykanka: 0:08
No. 2 - Act III, Tableau VI: The Ethereal Space: 3:50
1. Ballet of the Stars: 6:23
a. Mazurka: 6:25
b. Procession of the Stars: 8:27
c. Khorovod [Slavic round dance of pagan origin]: 9:21
d. Czardas and the Rain of Shooting Stars: 11:01
2. The Diabolical Kolyadka [Ukrainian Christmas carol]: 11:45
No. 3 - Act III, Tableau VII: Polonaise: 17:15
No. 4 - Act III, Tableau VIII: Vakula's Return: 23:03
1. Daybreak: 23:03
2. The Procession of Ovsen and Kolyada [the names of two children]: 25:36

Performers:
Neeme Järvi as conductor
Royal Scottish National Orchestra


Note: This channel does not own the score or audio, and they are only used for non-commercial purposes. This video is a reupload from Thomas van Dun, who withdrew all score videos of pieces not composed by himself.

Original Uploader’s Channel:    / thomasvandun